Flower Sequencing in the Fall for Plant Species in the Farview Prairie at the Fort Worth Nature Center, Fort Worth, Texas

Abstract

A study was completed at the Farview Prairie site at the Fort Worth Nature Center (FWNC), Fort Worth, Texas. The goal was to document the sequence of flowering for plants in the fall and collect type specimens for deposit in the Texas Christian University (TCU), the Botanical Research Institute of Texas (BRIT), and the FWNC herbaria. Three transects with 22 1 m2 plots were placed on the study area. Plants in flower were recorded weekly, noting species and number of plants in flower for each species. Data was recorded in a permanent field book and later transferred to an Excel spreadsheet. Four plants of each species were collected for pressing, drying, and mounting as type specimens. They are to be deposited as record into the herbaria of TCU, BRIT, and the FWNC. Ten species flowered during the study period. Heliotropium tenellum was dominant in the hot, dry beginning of the study period. Palafoxia callosa, Gutierrezia amoena, Croton monanthogynus, and H. tenellum were dominant in the final period. All species collected are native species indicating the prairie community is recovering from past farming and grazing disturbances. The data also provide a valuable benchmark for flower sequencing, as 2015 had twice the average annual precipitation for the region. Data from this study will aid management of the FWNC in their efforts to return ecosystems to a more natural state.